Trail of Feathers
Trail of Feathers
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Summary
This is the story of a journey into the deepest Amazon jungle - to discover if the Incas really did fly centuries ago, or were these legends fuelled by a drug-induced ritual?
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Trail of Feathers by Tahir Shah
Enthralled by the chronicle of a 16th-century Spanish monk, which said that the Incas 'flew like birds' over the jungle, and by the recurring theme of flying in Peruvian folklore, Tahir Shah set out to discover whether the Incas really did fly or glide above the jungles of Peru. Or was it flight of a different kind, inspired by powerful drugs? After gathering equipment in London - and advice, not least from Wilfred Thesiger - the long quest begins, in the mountains of Peru, with a trek to Machu Picchu, the Incas' most sacred city. Then on to the mountain city of Cusco and a mysterious island on Lake Titicaca, before the trail of clues leads to the coast and through the desert, to the immense animal-like etchings which form the Nazca Lines and a remote burial ground for 30,000 mummified corpses. And finally to an epic river-journey up the Amazon to discover the secrets of the Shuar, a tribe of legendary savagery. In the course of this journey the author discovers much about the Spanish treatment of the Incas, Peruvian folklore and magic, the great but brief Amazon rubber boom of the 19th century, head-shrinking, shamanic knowledge and plant-based hallucinogens.Even for a traveller so used to surreal adventures, there are many strange encounters - some gruesome, some hilarious - among madmen and dreamers, sorcerers, con-men and jungle experts, before he can at last discover the truth about the Birdmen of Peru.
Tahir Shah was born in 1966 into the Afghan nobility, the Saadat of Paghman. His wife is from Bombay and they met during his travels for Beyond the Devil's Teeth. A freelance writer and journalist, he has written widely on the Near and Middle East and India.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780297645924 |
| ISBN 10 | 0297645927 |
| Title | Trail of Feathers |
| Author | Tahir Shah |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Co |
| Year published | 2001-02-27 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |